1/03/2011

Over the Christmas weekend we’ll be releasing a version of redsn0w
that implements the “backup plan” to the 4.2.1 untethered jailbreak.
We’re seeking your help to test this redsn0w and find any bugs before
we do a general release!
(If you have an iPhone 3G, or an old-bootrom ipt2g or iPhone 3GS, you
already have an untethered jailbreak! Just use the latest public
redsn0w.)
To keep things manageable, this will be a Mac-only test program. We
also request that any volunteers *NOT* need the ultrasn0w unlock (in
case things go very wrong).
Right now, the “backup plan” requires that you have the 4.2b3 IPSW on your Mac, and that Cydia has your 4.2b3 SHSH hashes. Please don’t pirate that 4.2b3 IPSW!
(We’re also working on a way that this technique might apply to all
those with 4.1 IPSWs, but that’s not the first goal right now.)
If you fit all the above qualifications, please follow @redsn0w_testers on twitter for announcements, and use the comments section here for feedback. Thanks very much for your help, and Happy Holidays!Update #1: We’re about to release the first beta
using this new “backup method”, which redsn0w calls “Jailbreak Monte”.
Here are some important points:

This is a beta tester program. It’s not a general
release! Things can go very wrong, so please don’t even consider
testing if you have pictures or other media on your device that you
haven’t backed up!

For the same reason, please don’t participate if you rely on the ultrasn0w carrier unlock. Wait for the final version!

Until we fix some sandbox issues with bluetooth, the bluetooth functionality is disabled.

This very first beta1 is limited to iPhone4, iPad, and iPod touch 4G.

Cydia must have your 4.2b3 SHSH blobs saved on file. (As we
approach a general release, we’ll provide a way to let you use locally
saved hashes too).

You must already have the usbmuxd software
installed and running on your Mac (this requirement will eventually go
away too). The correct invocation of the relay is just as that page
says: “./tcprelay.py -t 22:2222”. If the relay isn’t installed
or running correctly by the time the redsn0w ramdisk has started, you’ll
need to restore to stock FW again to try it again. Please test it beforehand to save yourself some time!

Please leave all feedback in the comments below (we really need your feedback to help develop it into a stable release!)

Update #2: The second beta is now available
(testers ONLY please!). This version should fix all the native app
crashes (including Task switcher). That’s the only change in from beta1….Bluetooth is still disabled.Update #3: The third beta is now available (testers
ONLY please!). This version extends the fix made in beta2 over to the
non-GUI programs too (like the daemons that handle media content). That
should cover things like Facetime, Winterboard themes, and embedded
videos in iTunes. If you had trouble using the usbmuxd in
previous betas, please wait until we incorporate that into redsn0w
itself (i.e. don’t bother trying this beta3, just wait for the
integration).Update #4: The fourth beta is now available (testers ONLY please!). Starting with this version, redsn0w no longer requires you to install and run a separate program for the usbmux
(this was a non-trivial procedure for many). It’s okay to keep that
program running if you normally use it for ssh anyway. We also think
we’ve fixed a race condition in the GUI that was causing redsn0w to
crash during the “Preparing JB Monte Files” step. Nothing at all has changed on the iPhone side (where the main issues are still just Bluetooth and Skype).
The download link is:

redsn0w_0.9.7b4 (OS X). If your device is currently jailbroken with one of the previous betas, please do a fresh restore first.

Thanks to everyone who’s helped us test so far! We believe this is
the last big code change. If beta4 goes smoothly, we can move on to
opening up to Windows testers, the remaining devices, and fixing the
Bluetooth and Skype issues.